Last year Jackson loved soccer. He is aggressive, he's fast, and pretty good on his feet. He asked me if every day was Saturday. He loved his team and his coach. We now in full swing with soccer this year, and dare I say this year is even better. He loves it. He's passing the ball. learning the rules and loves his team. He get so aggressive and dirty I kind of feel like I'm in a Tide commercial every time I do the laundry.





This is the first year Bennett is able to play soccer. I use the term "play" loosely as it is difficult to teach a game to a group of 3 year olds. It was a rough start as he wasn't interested in playing and was reserved when it came to jumping in on the action. But once he had a buddy (Greg) he did great. Needless to say, he's in good company as most of his team is just as interested in the grass and the birds as he is. Each week he is improving, and he looks forward to it each week!

I have a love hate relationship with our TV. Well our TV, Wii, Computer, and even Greg's Iphone. On one hand they are perfect for when I need to take a shower and I need the mischief to stay at a minimum, or when the kids need a little something the get them through the after-nap-cranky-phase. But when the first words out the their mouth in the morning are "can I play Wii?" I know they need some redirection.

So introduce screen time coins. Every Monday the kids get a handful of coins for the week to use on any screen time through the week. When they are gone. no more screen time. Any coins they had leftover by the end of the week could be cashed out for new books. Seems like a great idea right? Kind of.

After week one, Jackson ran out of coins on Thursday, leaving me to suffer the rest of the week with no screen time backup. My showers were really fast, and the fighting increased dramatically as the boys took out their boredom and frustration on eachother. It's like they forgot how to play on their own.

But on week 2, I figured he would have figured out from his mistakes in week one. But in week two, he again ran out on Thursday.

And every week after that. And he has never earned a book.

So I tried instituting a "no TV after school" rule, to help string them out a bit longer. Now he lasts until Friday. Blargh.

And when he doesn't have any more coins, he can't quite let go of the electronic obsession. He asks to use the camera to take pictures, listen to music on the computer, or yesterday I caught him doodling this picture in his notebook:



Yes that would be angry birds. And you can't see it but the image above it is of Phineas and Ferb.

In a perfect world the boys would understand moderation. It's okay to watch TV or play computer games or the Wii once in awhile, but would be able to walk away without needing more more more right now.

I know it's a lot to ask of a 5 year old, but a girl can dream. In the mean time I'll just spend my Fridays unshowered and refereeing as the inevitable boxing matches ensue.